Career Transition – A journey from an academic facilitator to corporate
Author: Jayashree Jayaraman
It was a dream for me to join corporate for the last ten years. But I got into my comfort zone as an academic facilitator. The school provided me familiarity and routine with a sense of safety and predictability. So, I procrastinated my dream and goal of a corporate lifestyle.
The day I blew out the candles on the cake that read ‘Happy 40’, the fear of ageing struck me. I asked myself, what have I done to my life? Is it enough? Where am I? Where did I want to be? Also, I started camouflaging the reality of people my age and their attainments, which made me feel satiated.
I knew changing careers is challenging, but it’s always accomplishable.
I decided it was time I go back to corporate and pursue my dream, trusting the magic of new beginnings. But I sensed the reality that changing careers isn’t easy. It takes courage, a strong support system, and a long haul. But I know it’s doable. This changeover needed me to step down, move up and charge forward in my career.
Here are a few tips for a less friction career transition from my experience:
- Take a personal inventory – self-analysis.
- Probe into the industry, job and culture that fits well for you.
- Get more clarity on the environment in which you envision yourself being most successful and also connect it to your goal.
- Formulate an action plan.
- Rebrand yourself.
- Upskill or Reskill.
- Be motivated and open-minded to face reality.
So as Neil Gaiman says – The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. Write, draw, build, play, dance and live as only you can. It’s we who decide what we want to be in our professional or personal lives. So, it is never too late to be what you might have been.
